As part of hands-on Science and Nature Study, earlier this year Year 1 and 2 boys at St Edward’s College Junior School planted potatoes in the school garden with the help of the school gardener. The boys nurtured the potatoes for a few months and then helped to harvest what turned out to be a very good crop. Each boy proudly took home a bag of potatoes that they themselves had grown.

Numerous studies point to school gardens as a means of improving academic achievement, promoting healthy lifestyles, demonstrating the principle of teamwork, encouraging community and social development, and instilling a sense of place. This was one of the inquiry-based activities and hands-on experiments that the Junior School teachers undertake to instill in the boys a love of learning.